Nigeria’s former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has taken a swipe at labour leaders for prioritising their personal interests over the collective interest and welfare of workers.
Obasanjo levelled this criticism in his book, “Nigeria: Past and Future” which he recently launched on the occasion of his 88th birthday.
In chapter 17 of the book, Obasanjo criticised the ₦70,000 minimum wage approved by the President Bola Tinubu administration, describing it as meagre, paltry, beggarly and inadequate to cater for the workers’ basic needs.
“That is the situation in Nigeria in the third decade of the 21st century.
“The minimum wage does not even cover transportation costs for some workers, let alone food, housing, and family upkeep,” Obasanjo wrote.
He further lamented the spates of partisanship and political affiliations among labour leaders in Nigeria.
“Workers need more attention than they are getting. It is their right, and they have been denied it for too long. They have become victims of those meant to protect their interests.
“How did it happen that a trade union leader, while in office, was negotiating with a political party to be adopted as a gubernatorial candidate?
“Because of their political ambitions, most union leaders are ineffective compared to the founding fathers’ expectations.
“The workers thereby become victims of selfish leaders who use their positions to achieve political heights.
“Rather than negotiate in the interest of the workers, they do sabre-rattling and they are called into the room and money in large amounts is stuffed into their hands and they keep quiet.
“That has been the case since 2015. And, if anything, it is going from bad to worse.”
Obasanjo also knocked government officials who openly confessed to buying over labour leaders in order to weaken the struggle.
“How do we explain a senior official close to the President saying, ‘We have paid them to keep quiet and stop agitating’?
“What contributions are such labour leaders and their unions making to the country’s progress? You do not get the best from a frustrated and depressed worker.”
Although Obasanjo conceded that anyone has the right to delve into politics, he however contended that it is a contravention of labour etiquettes for labour leaders to use their unions as platforms for furthering their political interests, as it creates a conflict of interest.
He proposed a law requiring labour leaders to wait for at least five years after leaving office before moving into politics.
On July 29, 2024, Tinubu signed the N70,000 minimum wage into law marking the finalisation of negotiations with organised labour and the private sector on July 18, 2024.
The labour leaders had initially demanded a sum of ₦250,000 as minimum wage but the amount was haggled down to ₦70,000 after a meeting with President Tinubu.
Prior to this time, the country’s minimum wage was signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2015 was ₦33,000.
